Strong herbal aroma can be too strong for lagers; A clean bittering hop.

Usage:

Widely used bittering and flavoring hop for strong ales.

Example:

Fuller's Hock, Morrells Strong Country Bitter

AA Range:

8 - 10%

Substitute:

Northdown

Figure 29: Cascade Hops on the vine.

The next group are common examples of Aroma hops. Aroma hops can be used for bittering also, and many homebrewers swear by this, claiming a finer, cleaner overall hop profile. I like to use Galena for bittering and save the good stuff for finishing. But making these decisions for yourself is what homebrewing is all about.

There is a category of aroma hops, called the Noble Hops, that is considered to have the best aroma. These hops are principally four varieties grown in central Europe: Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger Tettnang, Spalter Spalt, and Czech Saaz. The location a hop is grown has a definite impact on the variety's character, so only a Tettnanger/Spalter hop grown in Tettnang/Spalt is truly noble. There are other varieties that are considered to be Noble-Type, such as Perle, Crystal, Mt. Hood, Liberty, and Ultra. These hops were bred from the noble types and have very similar aroma profiles. Noble hops are considered to be most appropriate for lager styles because the beer and the hops grew up together. This is purely tradition and as a homebrewer you can use whichever hop you like for whatever beer style you want. We are doing this for the fun of it, after all.

Aroma Hop Varieties

Name:

British Columbia (BC) Goldings

Grown:

Canada

Profile:

Earthy, rounded, mild aroma; Spicy flavor

Usage:

Bittering, finishing, dry hopping for British style ales. Used as a domestic substitute for East Kent Goldings. Not quite as good as EK.

AA Range:

4.5 - 7%

Substitute:

EK Goldings

Name:

Cascade

Grown:

US

Profile:

Strong spicy, floral, citrus (i.e. grapefruit) aroma.

Usage:

The defining aroma for American style Pale ales. Used for bittering, finishing, and especially dry hopping.

Example:

Anchor Liberty Ale & Old Foghorn Barleywine, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

AA Range:

4.5 - 8%

Substitute:

Centennial

Name:

Crystal a.k.a. CJF-Hallertau.

Grown:

US

Profile:

Mild, pleasant, slightly spicy. One of three hops bred as domestic replacements for Hallertauer Mittelfrüh.

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